On this ninth episode, I talk about Tom Cruise’s new movie ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ with my good friend Mike Sargeant as we tackle Tom’s career, his longevity and our opinions on why he doesn’t seem to want to collaborate with another A-List actor (3:20). We also review Broadway’s new family feel-good musical Holiday Inn (24:46) as well as take a look at Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar (21:34), and I ask a New Yorker what he’s seeing, listening and downloading (27:43), plus, we recap the most important pop culture news you might have missed this week.Read More

Incredible news coming out of Colombia this week. Not only does Colombia and the FARC come to some sort of peace agreement, but J Balvin kicks off #VivaToday performing on the TODAY show on October 6th and now this – Will Smith comes out of music retirement, after 10 years of not recording anything since Switch, to collaborate with Colombian band Bomba Estéreo on a remix of ‘Fiesta‘!Read More

In Ali, Will Smith came close to embodying the essence of pugilist Muhammad Ali. In The Pursuit of Happyness, Smith ventured into the depths of his acting like never before. Both roles garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Actor, but in this first trailer of his new film Concussion, Smith seems to be at the peak of his dramatic acting.Read More

I am not a late-night television kind of gal. I occasionally watch reruns of “Friends,” but last night Facebook persuaded me to do otherwise, so I tuned in to Jimmy Fallon’s debut on “The Tonight Show.”Read More

Jay Z’s Roc Nation has signed Wardell, a talented summery sounding duo that might give Blue Ivy a run for her inheritance. The indie-folk band is made up of Theo and Sasha Spielberg, children of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw. Theo, 25 is in charge of instrumentals and Sasha, 23, of vocals. They released the EP “Brother/Sister” earlier this year and are currently preparing their debut album set to be released in 2014.Read More

New York (USA), Nov. 18 (ShowBizCafe.com) – We are two years away until the release of ‘Men In Black 3’, but we already have the set pics of the star cast in ol’ New York – Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Nicole Scherzinger and Tommy Lee Jones.

In the stills, Will Smith is wearing a white lycra t-shirt showing a jacked up body. British actress Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee), is wearing a black dress and flip-flops. She is said to be the new head of the MIB group. Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, plays a villain named Lilly. Her scenes are unfortunately scarce. Finally, Tommy Lee Jones, a.k.a. Mr. Grumpy, is carrying what looks to be a Louis Vuitton. briefcase.

From what we understand, the shooting schedule is not conventional. The sequel will take a break for two months after the coming holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The funny thing is that film productions rarely take breaks that long. Either way, the film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who is responsible for the two previous installments, will focus on Agent J (Will Smith) who returns to 1969 to stop a villain. Once there, he will get the help of the younger version of Agent K (Josh Brolin) and together, join forces to defeat Yaz, to prevent the destruction of his partner in the future (Tommy Lee Jones) and saving the Earth. Men In Black 3 will be released in 3D and is scheduled to play theaters on May 25, 2012 courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

Jim Carrey’s new comedy “Yes Man” got the nod from moviegoers across North America, but brutal weather in key markets combined with holiday shopping distractions to hit overall ticket sales.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, “Yes Man” earned $18.2 million during its first three days, winning a closely watched duel with the Will Smith drama “Seven Pounds.” The decidedly downbeat film opened to a lightweight $16 million, Smith’s worst performance in seven years.

A third new entry, the mouse cartoon “The Tale of Despereaux,” followed at No. 3 with $10.5 million. Last weekend’s champion, the sci-fi remake “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” fell to No. 4 with $10.2 million.

Ticket sales on the East Coast, Pacific Northwest and parts of the Midwest fell victim to a winter deluge of snow and ice. Boston, for example, is a top-10 market, but it plunged to the lower reaches of the top 25 on Friday, studio executives said.

The top 12 films grossed $83 million, essentially flat with last weekend but down 44 percent from the year-ago period, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers.

Warner Bros Pictures, which released “Yes Man,” said the bad weather knocked about $2.5 million off the film’s total. But the Time Warner Inc (TWX.N)-owned studio hoped to make the money back in subsequent weeks.

Carrey plays a bank officer stuck in a personal and professional rut. After he attends a self-help seminar, he must say “yes” to all ideas and requests, leading to both comic and dramatic pitfalls. It cost in the $70 million range to make, said Dan Fellman, the studio’s president of distribution.

Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit “The Karate Kid,” which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith, Will Smith’s son.

The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment‘s James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor’s father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia.

The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.

China Film Group Corp. will co-produce in China.

The younger Smith, who next stars in “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” is a martial arts practitioner.

Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach said they had been trying to find a way to bring back the series, which began with three films that featured Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. A subsequent film launched the career of Hilary Swank.

Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in early discussions to collaborate on a remake of Chan Wook-park‘s “Oldboy.”DreamWorks is in the process of securing the remake rights, and the new pic will be distributed by Universal.

In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.

Spielberg had been looking for an opportunity to make a film with Smith, who would play the kidnapped man if all the pieces fall into place. Spielberg is looking for a writer to begin the development process.